String instrument instruction chart



Aug. 18, 1953 F. BovA ETAL 2,549,008

STRING INSTRUMENT INsTRUcTIoN CHART Filed April 2o, 195o 2 sheets-sheet 1 l r/IIIIIIIIIIIIIA"I'IIIIIA D .PI Dit:

Aug. 18, 1953 F. BovA ETAL STRING INSTRUMENT INSTRUCTION CHART 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 20, 1950 i m m N A R Z o NB o W la .A no

Patented Aug. 18, 1953 OFFICE sTnmG msTaUMENT INSTRUCTION CHART Fred Bova,

Pittsburgh, Pa., and Joseph Bova, New Rochelle, N. Y.

Application `April 20, 1950, Serial No. 157,024

1 claim. 1

The present invention relates to an instruction chart for string instruments, such as a guitar or ukulele, and more particularly, to an instruction chart having relatively slidable parts for quickly and easily selecting various chords to be played and for denoting the particular iingering necessary on the finger-board to play the chords.

Musical charts are well known in the art including charts to facilitate playing of a string instrument, but these, in general, are diicult to read, or in the case of charts with relatively movable parts, are somewhat difficult to manipulate as well as diicult to read with accuracy, therefore leaving much to be desired. Such charts generally are also incomplete insofar as denoting all the possible chords that may be played.

An object of the present invention is to provide a novel instruction chart having relatively slidable parts, which chart is devoid of the above-named disadvantages of commonly known charts, and which greatly facilitates instruction in the playing of a string instrument, such as a guitar or ukulele.

A more specic object of this invention is to provide a musical instruction chart with a plurality of relatively slidable parts and indices which are so arranged as to give a quick and accurate designation of any of the chords of a plurality of chord groups together with an indication of the necessary fingering on the iingerboard for playing the selected chord.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a study of the following description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top or plan view of a guitar instruction chart embodying the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, top or plan view more clearly illustrating the construction of the slide chord rule and the manner of designation of the various chords and the fingering necessary on the iinger-board for playing them;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the bottom disk shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the slide chord rule shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary top or plan View of the top disk shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, numaral I denotes a bottom disk and numeral 2 denotes a top disk of slightly smaller diameter than the bottom disk. Sandwiched between disks I and 2 is a slide chord rule 3 which is so mounted as to be radially slidable with respect to the disks. The disks and slide chord rule may be made of any suitable material, such as heavy paper, cardboard, plastic, or the like, preferably of plastic material. An eyelet 4 extending through the centers of disks I and 2 provides a pivot to allow relative rotation of disks I and 2. Slide chord rule 3, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5," is provided with longitudinally extending slots 5 and 6 for guiding the rule in a radial direction with respect to the disks. Eyelet 4 cooperates with slot 5 and an eyelet 'I mounted on the top disk 2 cooperates with slot 6 so as to restrict the sliding movement of slide chord rule 3 in a radial direction.

The top disk 2 has a stepped cutout 3 as shown more clearly in Fig. 6 to provide a window whereby portions ofthe charts appearing on the bottom disk Imay be viewed through suitable openings in the slide chord rule 3. As shown in Fig. 3, a window 9 is provided at the top of slide chord rule 3 and is adapted to come into registry with the names of the groups of chords IIJ, such as major chords, minor chords, '7th chords, diminished chords, augmented chords, etc., which names are evenly distributed about the periphery of disk I as shown in Fig. 1. On the slide chord rule 3 there is provided an opening II which is adapted to register with any of a group of chord names disposed in rectangular blocks arranged in substantially radially extending columns such as Il and I9 in Fig. 4. For example, column I9 denotes the minor chord group and includes the Various names of the chords in the minor chord group. At the same time diagram I8 will show the corresponding iinger positions relative to the names as they appear through window II on column I9. It will be noted that while window II is moved radially along chord group columns, such as I1 and I9, other windows, such as 9, I2, I3, I4 and I5, disposed substantially radially of the disks, are adapted to move along finger-board charts, such as I6 and I8, respectively (see Fig. 4) which have indicia thereon to indicate the necessary fingering of the various strings in order toplay the particular chord designated. For example, there are six strings denoted by letters E, A, D, G, B and E as shown in Fig. 3, numbered 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 and I, respectively. As illustrated by the legend on disk 2 of Fig. 3, the various iingers of Vthe left hand are denoted by numbers I, 2, 3 and 4. Hence, by placing the number of the finger to be used at the proper location on the ngerboard chart, a specific note will be indicated. And by designating a plurality of such numbers at diierent fret positions observable through windows I3, I4 and I5, a complete designation in the manner of fingering the particular chord will be given. Forexample, ,in .the ,illustration in Fig. 31,:,windcvver II indicates thee criordnamef as being G,"and for playing thisparti'cular chord, the 4th iinger must be depressed on string No. I (the E string) of the 3rd fret. The smallerf circles appearing through windows I2;` derrate@ tars as is well known. However, the same general arrangement can be used, that is, window 3 of slide rule 3 could be used to select the particopen strings to be added to the chord, only 'abovefl the nut. It will be noted that each chord group column is in exact parallel irelationshipft: its@n corresponding finger-board chart so that"r'a"dialL sliding of rule 3 will assocatareachchordroai chord group with a portion of the finger-,board chart. i

In operation, therefore;` the slide chord rule 3 isrinitially pushed inwardly'ina-l radial direction asiar as possible so lthat its-windowfllwil-l 'come into ,registryl withthe names 1 I 0 'of f" the various chord'A groups on dislrY I such vas will appearAz more clearly Fig; l. Thenfthey slide lchord'frule3f-is moved relativeI to disk I `and about eyelet" 4'-as--a ccnteriuntil itswind'ow Sifcornes into registryI with thet desiredchordgroup, such as theminor chord group'or"majorchord^group, etc.- InFigpl. the minor chord'" groupis" selected: On looking througlrwiridw YI I of 'rule 3'; the particular 'chord designated ofithey minor chord group vvis Alminor whentherule is'fin thepositionI shown, that is, all the way in. chord, as' will be L noted -bylookin'g through' Windows I2, I3,:.Iland- I5;- the Zndiiger mustfbe held'pn string No; 2 "(thatiis, thev B string) Von the nistV fret; whereas the'Srdandnthiingers rnust be held'on stringsvNos. Iand 3 5(thatfis, sti-ings D andi?)` ofthe second fretwhile'strings nii-"and` tare'played open. Now ifiit'should'be desired toplay some other chord inV the'. minor" chord group, slide'A chord. rule ,3' ispulledoutwardl'ydn aradialdirection untilfwindow IIthereof comes intov registryVv with the particular' chord"intlf1`at ch'ordrgroup to be played. Theniagaixr; by noting the. indicia appearing onH th'e `rmer-board chart I 6i on .disk I ,las viewed 'throughvarious Windows I 3-,2 i4 land.v I 5', the. particular fingering necessary forV playing. this new chord will be indicated.l

If it'lisdesiredtofplay a chord in a"ch`ord"groupl otherth'anth'e minorchord'group,y rule 3'is ro# tatedrelative to disk4 VI until "the desired chordof tliel chord group Vis indicated through'windw' I I;

upon which' by viewing the ngernumb'ering and fret'positions through windows I3?4 Illand 15j' the necessary ngerin'g., for playing.' vthe i particuiar chord'is observed.

It shouldbenoted'that while .thechart' illus:

InV order to -play' the minor :j

ular chord to be played of any chord group, whereas other windows, such as I3, I4 and I5, would denote the lingering on the finger-board necessary for playing the chord.

Furthermore, vif it is desired to simplify the chart byv including only. Very, commonly used chords this may be readily done by simply eliminating certain chords or chord groups.

Thus it will be seen that we have provided a highlygyeiicieutnnnsic chart which is very easy to `manipulate and read and which is especially use- 15 Iiingjanycfaord'ir any chord group on string inful for..denotingthenecessary fingering for playstrur'nents, such as the guitar, but which chart .illustratessthesprinciples of usefulness for providinginstruction for playing other musical instru- 'ments't enable the beginner to very quickly master the art of playing all the necessary chords in=afrelatively short -time and :to make vplaying a string instrument a relatively'easymatter linw stead-"oa tedious one'.

Wliile'we Ahave illustrated andv described one embodiment'of ourinvention, it will be apparent that thisis `by' way yof'illustration only, and v`that various changes and fmodications may be -made within the contemplation of our invention and within'thescopeof the following claim.

Wejclaim:

A musical chart for string instruments corn"- prisin'g ja'bottomv disk having a plurality Yof sube stantiallyradially extending chordl'group symbols wherein; the particular chords in each" chord group. areA indicated`in columns extendingsub'- stantially radially, andapluralit'y of substan-v tially` radially extending finger-board 'charts each inA .parallel relationshipv Iwith .one-v of said columns and fwith fingering Idesignations. indicatedthereon foi playing-.f selectedchords, a -top disk .having window-meansfor associating any, given chord group-with its `corresponding finger-board chart, af p-ivotzfor rotatably; mounting said .top-and y bottom disks, and a radially slidablerule mounted between.'saidzdisks; and:l having` a slot slidably guided bysaidipivot; the'. end' portions of said slot serving as: lim-it stops :for said: radial-ly; slidabie rule, saidfruleI also@ having'y windows removable 'in registry 'with frsaid: window virneans i vfor selecting 'fa tr'atedA4 is ,indicated as being a guitar 'instruction chartf the 'same general scheme V'can' be'used :for other Y'stringinstruments suchlastheukulele; in which'case, of course, there will befonly ,four infstead"of*sii` strings, andthe iin'gering"arrange--v mentsffo'r given chordsv would Abe diie'rent finasmuchas ukuleles are tuned -'differently'A from fgui particular 'chord in any chord group and' for des;

necessary for playing that particularchord.

FRED'BOVA JOSEPH IBOVA.

References Cited in the ilefof thiszpatentf UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date l 1,822,457# lilu'rguson--Roberts .Sept.y 8, 1931 l FOREIGN PATENTS i Number. Country Date 966,444 France Mar; 8, 1950 5.23.32?? Great Britain" July 17,1940 

